There are already a number of solutions for protecting cremation urns. Most of these solutions, however, fail to satisfy the requirements of the cremation industry in that they are large, heavy, cumbersome and they often price themselves out of the reach of the average consumer. Most of the cremation urn vaults currently available to consumers are made of concrete, steel, polymers, granite, marble, ceramic or stained glass, steel, and even wood and are so heavy that outside agencies must be paid to deliver and install these current urn vaults. Today, there exists a desire for a lighter, more easily-handled cremation urn vault that is impervious to nature's elements to a greater degree than concrete, polymers, and the like. There is a need for a stronger structure that does not have the weaknesses of existing vaults and can withstand the heavy weight of the covering soil as well as any heavy equipment that passes overhead. With thousands of additional families choosing cremation every day, there is a tremendous need for a protective, sealing, urn vault with far greater stability than what is offered in the industry today. Such an efficient urn vault would streamline installation, to the point where the actual families involved could lower the urn vault into its burial position by themselves, allowing for additional closure for grieving loved ones. Also, this new invention would lower overall installation costs and still guarantee the confidence and peace of mind for grieving families. Funeral homes and funeral director's have never been able to sell any current protective urn vault on a preneed basis because they are so large that consumers can't take immediate possession of the vaults and these sales are limited to at-need families. Preneed sales account for a large part of funeral home profits and this present acrylic urn vault invention is extremely light, easily handled by funeral employees and family members, as well as dynamic in its presentation and will be a very desirable product to the preneed market. With cremation on the rise around the world, there is a greater need for an attractive, secure, and stable sealing urn vault that suffers from none of the stability and installation problems of the current urn vault solutions today. This cast acrylic urn vault invention satisfies that need.
Most urn vaults are designed with a base adhered to sidewalls and a lid that closes from the top. Essentially, most cremation urn vaults are simply heavy boxes. These all portend to seal and protect the urn, but fail either because of the hefty weight, inferior build quality that breaks down in extreme soil conditions, or they fail because of the exorbitant costs associated with handling and burying these vaults.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,421,765 is an aesthetically pleasing vault and urn system where the vault and the urn are covered with materials capable of resisting deterioration for extended periods of time. The failure here is that the vault is “covered with materials” that resist deteriorization. These materials, underground, will break down, separate, and fail, leaving the urn and cremains to the elements. Any covered product placed underground will eventually break down. That is certain.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,648,162 utilizes the beauty of stained glass combined with innovative assembly techniques to provide a cremation urn that is pleasing in appearance, light in weight, rugged in construction, and moisture and dust resistant. Yet, this urn vault could not be used to protect urns that are buried in-ground. The weight of the soil and pressures associated with in-ground burials would crack the stained glass and break immediately.
U.S. D432285 is a cremation urn vault with an ornamental design. It is a heavy concrete box that is costly to install and impossible to handle, except for cemetery professionals. Water and soil moisture eventually weaken any underground concrete structure. This concrete box is no different and is extremely susceptible to moisture.
Although these and other urn vaults are available, there is still a need for a new cremation urn vault, unlike any of these existing vaults. A patent search was recently performed for this new invention, targeting all cremation urn vaults, cremation vault assemblies, and cremation urn containers. The patent search “failed to locate any references considered to be of relevance” to this new cremation urn vault invention. This invention is a much more structurally sound urn vault capable of being handled easily for burial and decorative enough to serve as a display for an urn in a home setting. This acrylic urn vault seals tightly when underground, eliminating the threat of water, air, insects, and molds as well as being able to withstand any weight pressing on it from above. This sealing concept is exactly like an empty glass turned upside down in a sink full of water. The trapped air inside the glass presses against the water and doesn't allow any to get in. This new invention works in a similar fashion, except there are extra precautions inherent to the device that would never allow water, soil, insects, molds, etc. to enter and contaminate the urn or cremains.
The majority of existing urn vaults today are very heavy and require either machinery and/or extensive man-power to handle them. This weight problem creates additional labor and increased costs. Concrete urn vaults, the most prominent on the market today, can weigh well over 100 lbs. and those skilled in the art recognize that these are extremely difficult to lower into burial spaces. Also, most concrete vaults have inner polymer liners to protect the urns because over time, water and moisture will weaken the integrity of the aggregate concrete, leading to cracks and eventual failure. Once failure occurs, the plastic liners collapse, leaving the cremation urn and its contents vulnerable to the underground elements. For the size required, granite and marble urn vaults are simply cost prohibitive and their weight is similar, if not greater than concrete. Ceramic and glass are much too fragile to entrust with protecting a family's “buried” urn and wood is simply a bio-degradable substance that deteriorates quickly, much like water-based, aggregate concrete. Also, if a family were to request a disinterment to remove a buried urn or to add an additional urn, concrete urn vaults are extremely difficult to remove and if in fact the vault is still intact at the time of removal, the concrete lid will have to be broken in order to remove the urn. The concrete lid pieces falling into the vault could also damage the urn. Steel urn vaults do not seal, leaving the enclosed urn vulnerable to insects, molds and more, and even galvanized steel will succumb to rust in a moist environment. This new cast acrylic cremation urn vault will successfully address all of these existing urn vault issues by being extremely strong and durable, easily handled, capable of being reopened and resealed if requested, and can be easily manufactured as well as quickly assembled.